Lactose-Free Milk Chocolate

Chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut (Wieze Belgium) has developed a “lactose-free” milk chocolate, immediately available to the European market.

The company’s chocolate uses specialized skimmed milk powder with “the lowest lactose content available on the market”-presumably low enough to allow for the “lactose-free” claim. Low lactose levels allow the company to use more milk powder, generating a taste very close to conventional milk chocolate.

Recent data suggests that lactose intolerance is prevalent in as much as 70% of the European adult population. This could provide for significant market opportunities with lactose-free dairy products.